How to Use Real-Time Transcription with Mic and Remote Audio
360Converter Offline Transcriber can transcribe both your local microphone and remote audio (system audio) in real time. As you speak with someone on Zoom, Google Meet, or any other conferencing application, a live transcript appears on screen — clearly labeled with who spoke and when. Everything is processed locally on your computer.
Video Demo
Watch how to use real-time transcription with mic and remote audio in 360Converter Offline Transcriber:
Overview
Real-Time Transcription listens to two audio streams simultaneously — your microphone and the remote/system audio — and converts speech to text as the conversation happens. Each segment in the transcript is labeled with the speaker source, so you can follow along and see exactly who said what.
This is ideal for:
- Live meeting notes during client calls
- Real-time captions for online interviews
- Documenting consultations or discovery calls as they happen
- Accessibility — following conversations in real time
Transcription Modes
Real-Time Transcription supports two modes:
Microphone Only
Transcribe only your local microphone input in real time. Use this when you want live captions of your own speech — for example, dictation, lecture recording, or voice notes.
Two-Way (Mic + Remote)
Transcribe both your microphone and the remote/system audio simultaneously. Use this when you want a live transcript of both sides of a conversation — for example, a Zoom call where you need to see what you and your client are saying in real time, clearly labeled.
💡 Tip
To switch between modes, simply select or deselect the remote audio source in the transcription panel before starting. When both sources are selected, each line in the transcript is automatically labeled with the speaker.
How to Start Real-Time Transcription
Open Real-Time Transcription
Click the Real-Time button in the toolbar to open the real-time transcription panel.
Select Audio Sources
Choose your microphone device for local audio. To transcribe two-way audio, make sure the remote/system audio (loopback) is also selected. To transcribe microphone only, deselect the remote audio source.
Start Transcription
Click Start to begin real-time transcription. The transcript will appear on screen as the conversation progresses, with each segment showing the speaker label and timestamp.
Stop Transcription
When your meeting is finished, click Stop. The full transcript will be available for review, editing, and export.
💡 Tip
Start the real-time transcription before joining your meeting so you capture the conversation from the very beginning.
Reading the Live Transcript
As the conversation happens, the transcript updates in real time. Each line shows:
- Timestamp — when the segment was spoken
- Speaker label — either "Mic" (your microphone) or "Remote" (system audio)
- Transcribed text — what was said
This makes it easy to follow the conversation and see at a glance who is speaking at any moment.
After Transcription
Rename Speakers
The default speaker labels are Mic and Remote. You can rename these to meaningful names — for example, "Me" and "Client," or the actual names of the participants. The renamed labels will apply throughout the entire transcript and carry over to all export formats.
Summarize with AI
Use the built-in AI summary feature to generate a summary of the entire conversation. This extracts key points, decisions, and action items without requiring you to re-read the full transcript. The summary is processed locally on your machine using the offline AI engine.
Export
Export the complete transcript with speaker labels and timestamps in your preferred format:
- DOCX (Microsoft Word)
- TXT (Plain Text)
- JSON
- XML
💡 Tip
Use the JSON or XML export if you need to process the transcript programmatically or integrate it with other tools in your workflow.
Troubleshooting
Echo or Feedback During Transcription
When transcribing both mic and remote audio, you may notice echo or duplicated text in the transcript. This happens when your microphone picks up the audio playing through your speakers, causing the same speech to be transcribed twice — once from the remote stream and once from the mic stream.
To resolve this:
Use Headphones
The simplest solution — wear headphones or earbuds so that the remote audio does not play through your speakers and get picked up by your microphone.
Adjust Voice Settings in Your Meeting App
Open the audio or voice settings in your meeting application (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc.) and make sure echo cancellation is enabled. Also check that the correct microphone and speaker devices are selected.
Lower Speaker Volume
If you cannot use headphones, reduce the speaker volume to minimize the amount of remote audio that your microphone picks up.
Check System Sound Settings
On Windows, go to Settings → System → Sound and verify the correct input and output devices are selected. On macOS, go to System Settings → Sound. Ensure your microphone is not set to pick up system audio internally.
⚠️ Note
Echo issues are caused by your audio hardware and system settings, not by 360Converter Offline Transcriber. The steps above adjust your system and meeting app configuration to prevent echo from occurring.
Real-Time Transcription vs. Audio Recording
360Converter Offline Transcriber offers two ways to capture meetings with mic and remote audio:
Real-Time Transcription — produces a live transcript as the conversation happens. You see the text appearing on screen immediately. Best when you need to follow along in real time or take action during the meeting.
Audio Recording — records the audio first, then you transcribe it afterward. Best when you want to focus entirely on the conversation and review the transcript later. See How to Record Mic and Remote Audio for details.
Both features support speaker labels, speaker renaming, AI summary, and export to DOCX, PDF, TXT, JSON, and XML.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. All audio processing and transcription happens entirely on your local computer. No audio or text data is sent anywhere.
Yes. When you stop the real-time transcription, the full transcript is saved and available for review, editing, renaming speakers, summarizing, and exporting.
Yes. You can choose to transcribe only your microphone input without the remote/system audio. Simply deselect the remote audio source before starting.
Accuracy depends on audio quality, background noise, and the language being spoken. For best results, use a good quality microphone and minimize background noise. You can also adjust the VAD (Voice Activity Detection) settings in Settings for your environment.
Any application that plays audio through your system is supported. This includes Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and any other conferencing or VoIP application.
Yes. You can rename the default labels ("Mic" and "Remote") to any name you prefer at any time after transcription. The renamed labels will be used in all export formats.